ESPN Analyst Puts Cowgirls on Upset Alert Against South Dakota State
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Oklahoma State has had a great season, but a tough matchup could end its postseason run early.
The Cowgirls are in the midst of one of the best seasons in program history. Entering the NCAA Tournament at 25-6, the Cowgirls are set to finish with one of the best records the team has ever had as Jacie Hoyt continues to build the program in her third year.
Despite being ranked in the AP Top 25 for much of Big 12 play and entering the NCAA Tournament as the No. 17 team, OSU was only able to muster a No. 7 seed in the big dance. While that should still pit the Cowgirls against a team that isn’t in the rankings, they got unlucky on that front as well. OSU is set to face No. 10 seed South Dakota State, which is at No. 24 in the AP poll.
In ESPN’s recent article predicting 10 women’s March Madness upsets, Charlie Creme picked the Jackrabbits to get the best of the Cowgirls.
“Two years ago in the NCAA tournament, the Jackrabbits beat USC in an 8-9 game,” Creme wrote. “In 2019, they reached the Sweet 16 as a No. 6 seed, upsetting third-seeded Syracuse in the second round. Coach Aaron Johnston knows about success in March. After facing the nation's 13th-most-difficult nonconference schedule, South Dakota State is prepared for March.”
While the Jackrabbits are prepared for March, the Cowgirls should be set for battle as well. OSU has played some of its best basketball this season in its games against the top teams in the Big 12.
While many of those performances came in Stillwater, the Cowgirls have shown their level of play can travel after nearly taking down Baylor in overtime in the Big 12 Tournament. While it might be human nature to look past South Dakota State and look at an elite UConn team that awaits the winner, OSU must come out ready to face South Dakota State.
With South Dakota State riding a 19-game winning streak into the first round, OSU needs to be ready for a hard-fought game.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.